Il Tornabuoni Hotel reivew – The Points Guy

Florence is one of my favorite stops in Italy because it has so much to offer within easy walking distance – think works of art like Michelangelo’s David, the iconic Duomo di Firenze, and Tuscan wine, Florentine steak and delicious pasta.

On my recent trip with a group of friends, I was looking for a specific hotel feature: rooms or suites with multiple king-size beds. That led me to Il Tornabuoni Hotel.

Here’s what it was like to stay at this Hyatt Unbound collection property.

What is Il Tornabuoni Hotel?

In a city as steeped in history as Florence, I enjoy staying in a place that doesn’t feel like a cookie-cutter chain hotel with predictable wall coverings, furniture and bath products. You won’t find that at Il Tornabuoni, a 62-room hotel in the heart of the city. Although it’s a Hyatt property, its Untied Collection organization (a first in Italy, in fact) means guests will find something different.

Renaissance style architecture and luxury are inspirations here. Il Tornabuoni’s excellent location and variety of room types make the place feel like a small hotel with a taste of local art. You will be greeted by a modern design without losing touch with the past stories of the city.

How to book Il Tornabuoni Hotel

As Il Tornabuoni is a luxury hotel in a popular tourist area, rooms and suites will cost you – but there are a few ways you can save money on your stay.

Il Tornabuoni is a Phase 7 Hyatt property. That means the best average points you can get for a non-superior room based on Hyatt’s spend charts would be 25,000 points per night or 43,000 for a standard suite. Unfortunately, the World of Hyatt credit card won’t help here because the annual free night awards only apply to Category 1-4 properties.

Related: The best Tier 4 Hyatt hotels to maximize your free night award certificate

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Hyatt is not a program I currently have high status in, and I didn’t have enough World of Hyatt points for this stay, so I turned to my credit cards. (If you have enough points, I was able to find redemptions available for both rooms and suites on the Hyatt website in the coming months.)

Il Tornabuoni is an Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts property, so if you book a stay through the portal and pay in full using your American Expres Platinum Card®, it can generate up to $200 in statement credit each year.

For this stay, I chose to use a different card: My Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, which has up to $200 in hotel credit when you book through Delta Stays, the airline’s hotel booking portal. Adding to that decision was a limited time Delta promotion where I would also earn Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) and bonus SkyMiles for my stay. As a Diamond Medallion member trying to maintain status amid some high demands this year, this was a big win for capital spending.

If you’re booking Il Tornabuoni, you’ll also want to consider using one of the credit cards that earn the most points for Hyatt stays, as well as one that automatically grants World of Hyatt elite status for additional benefits. This includes:

• World of Hyatt Credit Card: Earn 4 points per dollar spent at Hyatt hotels and resorts, automatic Discoverist status, and five special night credits per year for top status.
• World of Hyatt Business Credit Card: Up to 9 points per dollar: Earn 4 points per dollar spent at Hyatt hotels and resorts, automatic Discoverist status, and five exclusive night credits per year to the highest level, plus points 5 basic from Hyatt eligible $1 spent on World of Hyatt membership

The location is central and perfect for exploring

The landmark was once a palazzo, according to Hyatt, that would host the likes of the Grand Duke of Tuscany. Located on the corner of Piazza Santa Trinita, it is a central and ideal jumping off point for any entertainment in Florence.

We arrived in the city by train, so we took a taxi from the train station – Florence Santa Maria Novella (SMN) – to the hotel because we had heavy luggage. The journey was only about 10 minutes, and Il Tornabuoni’s bell service was waiting to assist on our arrival.

The sights in Florence’s historic center are not far from the start, and from Il Tornabuoni many attractions are within walking distance. Just a short walk from the hotel, guests will find:

• The Uffizi Galleries, the Ponte Vecchio or the Palazzo Vecchio, all around in five minutes (like those All’Antico Vinaio sandwiches that are trendy and delicious – I highly recommend La Paradiso, packed with mortadella and pistachio cream).
• The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, home to the city’s famous terracotta roofs, is about 10 minutes on foot.

And if shopping is your heart’s desire, Via Tornabuoni, where the hotel is located, is central to the brand, with designer stores from the likes of Gucci, Ferragamo and Louis Vuitton just steps from the front door.

We ended up taking a short car ride across the river and up the hill to Piazzale Michelangelo, which is famous for its beautiful view, but it’s not an impossible hike there either if you want to find more steps.

Il Tornabuoni has a variety of room and suite options

Il Tornabuoni has more than a dozen types of rooms and suites. Our group ended up staying in three different rooms. I booked the King Bed Premium (pictured below), a spacious 300 square meter room with wood accents, rich red wallpaper and bird inspired art (I noticed that animal art, apart from birds, was the hotel’s theme).

One of the fun design features here is that each room’s color palette and decor varies greatly between room and suite types. (For example, some of our friends stayed in a 500-square-foot suite with double king beds. The space was decorated with black and white panels and golden-yellow accents.)

Drop-off service was consistent. Canned water and sweets were placed in the room, along with slippers left beside the bed. I also have to commend the hotel for the excellent air conditioning in our room, which stood up to the test of my American cold room standards.

The bathroom in our room had a bathtub and rain shower, as well as a handheld showerhead. Bathroom accessories from a brand called Hemp Care, which uses Italian hemp oil in their products, were plentiful. Besides the basics, the room was also stocked with face wash, shaving gel and a hair mask.

Our room had an espresso machine and coffee maker, wine fridge, mini fridge and snacks. There was also an in-drawer safe above the minibar.

Food and drink options at Il Tornabuoni

While there is no shortage of amazing food and drink in Florence, I appreciate the great options in my home. Our first stop was the resort’s Butterfly Terrace, a rooftop bar. The terrace is open from 5pm to 11pm, except Mondays. In Florence, I always think the roof trusses are a great way to look at it – and it was nice to have it in our building.

On the ground level, the Il Magnifico Restaurant – and the Il Magnifico Cafe next door and bar – are open for various occasions for food and drinks. Both buffet and a la carte options are available for breakfast. The buffet was about $44, and the omelet a la carte was $20. I ended up going with the buffet so I could explore more options, and the a la carte price couldn’t have been much different.

The buffet included a yogurt parfait station, baked goods and fresh scrambled eggs.

I used the cafe menu all day with a few afternoon snacks. The menu ranged from basics like burgers ($31) and club sandwiches ($25) to local fare like pasta with Tuscan ragu ($23) or a Tuscan cured meat board ($29).

Spritzes and signature cocktails really shine at the glam bar, which stays busy until closing time. The house-made limoncello was one of our go-to orders. Drinks are about $25 to $28 each. The menu also featured mocktails.

Reasons why Il Tornabuoni might not be for you

• The high price point at Il Tornabuoni won’t fit all budgets.
• If exercise is part of your holiday routine, Il Tornabuoni’s gym may not be enough. Although the hotel has a fitness center, it’s not much more than a few machines and some free weights. (Instead, we went to Florence Fitness around the corner, which offers day passes.)

Accessibility

Although it is a historic building, I have seen accessibility features throughout Il Tornabuoni, such as ramps added to make the former palazzo easier for wheelchair users.

I checked the Hyatt website for several days for accessible room availability, and could not find a room to book online — the hotel website does not have a dedicated accessibility page. However, when I reached out to the hotel directly, they confirmed that some of their luxury rooms have accessible features. They said guests should contact them via email (at reservations@iltornabuonihotel.com) to book an accessible room.

It comes out

I found Il Tornabuoni to be an outstanding hotel that I would definitely return to. While staying here isn’t easy on the wallet, the location can’t be beat, the staff was very helpful and attentive, and the variety of room choices can appeal to a range of travel groups (families, couples, groups of friends. etc.).

It’s also an easy way for Hyatt loyalists to redeem points for a premium stay in one of Italy’s most desirable destinations.

In a moving city like Florence, Il Tornabuoni offers not only a convenient location but also an attractive combination of historic buildings, creative design and a pleasant and comfortable home away from home.

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